Sheffield Magistrates Court heard how Paul Williams was driving an Enterprise Rent a Car along Halifax Road, in Sheffield on 4 March when he activated a speed camera at 48mph in a 30mph zone.

The following day the same vehicle triggered a different speed camera on the A6102 Prince of Wales Road At 55mph in a 40mph zone, the court was told.

Williams (aged 50) received a Notice of Intended Prosecution for the offences and he responded nominating another driver. Police investigations revealed that the nominee had been out of the country at the time of both offences.

The court heard Williams then announced that he wished to retract details of the nominated driver, but then claimed that five or six different people could have been driving the vehicle at the time of the offences. Further investigations showed that the contract for the vehicle hire did not permit additional drivers.

Williams, a self employed car valeter, of Bawtry Road, Rotherham was awarded 12 points on his driving licence. He was also ordered to pay a £450 fine and £150 in costs.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership said “Whilst the majority of drivers that are caught speeding will complete the paperwork honestly there are a number of drivers that do not. These cases are fully investigated and if found guilty of perverting the course of justice the driver is likely to receive a higher fine and more stringent penalty than if they had admitted to speeding in the first place.”